Pacquiao up vs bigger, meaner sparmates

Bigger and meaner guys will now be the chief sparmates of Manny Pacquiao as training camp for his Nov. 14 “Firepower" title duel with Puerto Rican bomber Miguel Cotto enters its fourth week.

With the arrival of Mexican toughie Jose Luis Castillo in Baguio City, the “Pacman" will be up against natural welterweights, the weight class where the 28-year-old Cotto currently reigns as the World Boxing Organization (WBO) champion.

Regular sparmate Shawn Porter fights as a junior middleweight, with Urbano Antillon the smallest of them all at lightweight.

Trainer Freddie Roach said he’s inclined to replace Antillon with Castillo for Pacquiao to get use being banged by opponents bigger than him.

The closed-door sparring session resumes Tuesday at the Shape-Up gym inside the Cooyesan Hotel, with Castillo sparring with Pacquiao for the first time.

From the looks of it, Roach believes Castillo, the former World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion, is fit and ready.

“I believe he weighs around 160. According to him, he has a fight scheduled next month, so he must be in good shape," said Roach.

The three-time Trainer of the Year plans to make the 30-year old Filipino ring icon spar four rounds against Porter and three opposite Castillo.

So far, Pacquiao has logged in a total of 31 sparring rounds through three weeks at the City of Pines. He spars three times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and looks to complete the regular 150 rounds he usually does while preparing for a major fight. - GMANews.TV

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/174448/pacquiao-up-vs-bigger-meaner-sparmates